CARY, N.C. – Behind brilliant work on the bump by the quartet of Marcello Ricigliano (Kernersville, N.C.), Jacob Ray (Burlington, N.C.), Jacob Phillips (Browns Summit, N.C.), and Jack Ratliff (Greensboro, N.C.), the Guilford College baseball team (6-0, 0-0 ODAC) took care of William Peace University (0-6, 0-0 USA South) by a final score of 10-1 on Wednesday night at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
Ricigliano made his third start in six games for the Quakers with the purpose of getting him work. Only asked to throw the first inning, he did allow a pair of singles, and struck out one in a scoreless inning of work. Phillips was tasked with a bulk of the innings on the bump for GC, finishing 5.0 innings allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out four, ending up as the pitcher of record to get the win and improve to 2-0.
Ryan Manning got the ball for the Pacers and was quite tough over the first four before encountering trouble in the fifth. He completed 5.0 innings for the hosts allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk, fanning two and ended up on the hook for the loss to fall to 0-1.
Skyler Dark (Pleasant Garden, N.C.) was terrific again atop the Quakers lineup, reaching safely in five of his six plate appearances collecting a double, a walk, and a steal while scoring three times and driving in one. Initial ruling credited Aaron Williams (Mocksville, N.C.) with four RBIs while he scored twice himself on a 2-of-5 showing at the plate. Rylan Smith (Archdale, N.C.) also reached on three occasions with two walks and a single, scoring once and driving in another.
The home team mustered just six hits on the night with Nicholas Weisner and Nick Tubolino picking up two apiece. Weisner had WPU's lone extra-base hit, with a double while Tubolino drove in their solitary run, plating Alex Levesque.
The pitching dominated early, trading zeros through the first three-and-a-half innings with Ricigliano navigating around a pair of hits in the first before Ray faced the minimum over the following two innings. On the other side of the ledger, Manning kept GC off balance enough, and escaped a bases loaded jam in the third. Finally in the bottom of the fourth, William Peace would be the first team to breakthrough. Phillips entered and issued a leadoff walk to Levesque. A productive out advanced him and a Tubolino single back up the middle gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Trailing for the first time in their last three games, the Pacer run seemed to light a fire under the Quaker offense as they immediately responded. Gavin Fleming (Gibsonville, N.C.) turned the lineup over by pulling a leadoff single before Dark ripped his third hit of the game inside the rightfield line for a double putting two in scoring position with no one out. Both runs would cross the plate as Williams reached on a two-base error by the centerfielder as Guilford seized the advantage before Smith plated him with a single back through the box as GC grabbed a 3-1 lead.
The cardinal and grey benefitted from some wildness by the Pacers' pen in the top of the sixth with Christian Chinen (Honolulu, Hawaii) drawing a leadoff free pass and Collin McGuire (Wilkesboro, N.C.) getting drilled by a pitch for the second of three times in the game. Both advanced on a Sam Melton (Cartersville, Ga.) sacrifice bunt then again on a wild pitch allowing the former to score. Dark followed with a knock, plating another run two batters later before he swiped second and came home on a Williams single as Guilford extended their advantage to 6-1.
All the while, Phillips had settled in and was shutting William Peace down after allowing the singular run in his first inning of work. He did not end up needing it, but the Guilford bats piled on four more runs in the top of the eighth. Melton led off with a triple and after the first out and a Dark free pass, he scored when Williams reached on a miscue by the shortstop. Smith got a base on balls, then so did Grayson Tudor (Reidsville, N.C.), forcing in a run before Jordan Burrough (Greensboro, N.C.) got plunked to force in another. A Chinen sacrifice fly completed the inning's scoring, getting Guilford to double-digit runs, now way ahead, 10-1 then Ratliff put the finishing touches on the victory with a scoreless ninth.
Guilford draws their opening day opponent, Brevard College, for a doubleheader next on Saturday, March 1st. The Quakers will usher in the new month with a noon first pitch against the Tornados.
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